What language do they speak in Morocco? Darija, Amazigh, French and English explained
Most Moroccans speak Darija, a quarter use an Amazigh language, and French and English go a long way. The 2024 census figures, and which language to use where.
By Ismail8 min read
Most Moroccans speak Darija, Moroccan Arabic, in everyday life, and about one in four also uses an Amazigh (Berber) language. Arabic and Amazigh are the two official languages, French is the language of banks, business and universities, and English is enough for a trip to Marrakech and an organised tour. In the north, many people also understand Spanish.
Below: the 2024 census figures, what each language sounds and looks like, and which one to use where, from a team that works in the medina, the mountains and the desert.
The languages of Morocco in figures
The census run by the High Commission for Planning (HCP) in September 2024 counted 36.8 million residents and asked them which languages they use day to day, and which they read and write. The first results, in French, give this picture:
| Language | Census 2024 | Where you will hear it | Useful to a visitor? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darija (Moroccan Arabic) | used daily by 91.9% | everywhere | a few words go a long way |
| Amazigh (Tachelhit, Tamazight, Tarifit) | used daily by 24.8% | Atlas, south, Rif | a greeting earns a smile |
| French | read and written by 57.7% of literate people | cities, banks, menus, signs | yes, in towns |
| English | read and written by 20.5% of literate people | hotels, riads, guides | yes, in Marrakech and on tours |
| Spanish | read and written by 1.2% of literate people | the north | in Tangier and Tetouan |
| Hassaniya | used daily by 0.8% | the Saharan south | rarely needed |
Note the two kinds of figure. Darija, Amazigh and Hassaniya are languages people use every day. French, English and Spanish were measured as reading and writing skills among literate people aged 10 and over, about three in four of that age group; spoken French or English was not measured.
Darija, the everyday language
Darija is the Arabic of Morocco, the language of taxis, souks and family life: 91.9% of residents use it daily, 96.3% in towns and 84.5% in the countryside. It is Arabic at its core, shaped by long contact with Amazigh, then with Spanish and French. A key is sarut, from Amazigh; a fork is forshita, from the French fourchette; a wheel is rwida, from the Spanish rueda.
Darija is not the Arabic you hear on the news. Modern Standard Arabic, fusha, is the language of schoolbooks, newspapers, official documents, television news and the Friday sermon. Moroccans who went to school understand it, but nobody bargains in it. Understanding also runs one way: Moroccans grew up with Egyptian films and Middle Eastern series and generally follow Eastern Arabic, while visitors from Cairo or Beirut often find Darija hard at first, with its clipped vowels and local vocabulary.
Darija is above all a spoken language. When Moroccans text, many type it in Latin letters, with digits for Arabic sounds that have no Latin letter: 3 for the throaty ʿayn, 7 for a strong, breathy h. So 3afak on a phone means "please". For the words you will actually use, from greetings to numbers for the souk, see our Moroccan Arabic phrases for travellers.
Amazigh (Berber): Tachelhit, Tamazight and Tarifit
Amazigh, long called Berber, was spoken in North Africa before Arabic arrived. Since 2011, article 5 of the Moroccan Constitution has made it an official language alongside Arabic, as the common heritage of all Moroccans. An organic law promulgated in September 2019, law 26-16, sets out how it enters schools, the administration, the media and public spaces, in stages over five to fifteen years.
In the 2024 census, 24.8% of residents said they use an Amazigh language daily: 33.3% in the countryside and 19.9% in towns. It has three main varieties, each with its own region:
| Variety | Census 2024 | Where it is spoken | On a typical trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tachelhit | 14.2% | western High Atlas, Anti-Atlas, Souss | Imlil, Toubkal, Ourika valley, Agadir |
| Tamazight | 7.4% | Middle Atlas, central and eastern High Atlas, south-eastern oases | Ait Bouguemez, Dades and Todra, Jebel Saghro, around Merzouga |
| Tarifit | 3.2% | the Rif, along the Mediterranean | Al Hoceima, Nador |
The census counts daily use only: people who can speak Amazigh but say they do not use it every day are left out. Amazigh associations, among them AMREC, said in December 2024 that the figures undercount speakers, especially in cities; the HCP stood by its method, which it says follows UN recommendations. On the ground, most adults you meet in Amazigh-speaking villages also speak Darija.
For the history and culture behind the language, read our guide to the Amazigh people of Morocco.
Tifinagh: the alphabet on the signs
Look at a town hall, a school or a new road sign and you will see a third script next to Arabic and French: circles, lines, dots and crosses. This is Tifinagh, the Amazigh alphabet. It descends from the ancient Libyco-Berber script, and the Tuareg of the Sahara still use a traditional form of it. Its best-known letter is ⵣ (yaz), the red symbol in the middle of the Amazigh flag.
Morocco created the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) in 2001, and a standardised modern form, Neo-Tifinagh, was adopted in 2003 to write Amazigh. Law 26-16 confirmed it and requires Amazigh next to Arabic on road signs and on the fronts of public buildings. Few people read it yet: in 2024, just 1.5% of literate Moroccans said they could read and write Amazigh in Tifinagh. That is why signs carry two or three scripts, like the welcome sign of Asni on our cover photo, on the road from Marrakech to Imlil: Arabic, then Tifinagh, then French.
French: the second language of business
France ruled most of Morocco as a protectorate from 1912 to 1956, and French stayed. It is still the working language of banks, large companies, much of the administration and much of higher education, and you will see it on menus, shop fronts and road signs. In the 2024 census, 57.7% of literate Moroccans said they read and write French: 64.3% in towns, 42.1% in the countryside.
If you speak French, you will be understood in most hotels, shops, restaurants and taxis in Marrakech, Fes or Casablanca; in mountain villages, much less.
Spanish in the north
Spain held a protectorate over northern Morocco, and over the Tarfaya strip in the south, from 1912. It handed back the north in 1956, Tarfaya in 1958 and its enclave of Sidi Ifni in 1969. Spanish is still widely understood in Tetouan and Tangier, a short ferry crossing from Spain. Elsewhere it is rare: only 1.2% of literate Moroccans said they read and write it. If you are heading north, our guide to whether Chefchaouen is worth visiting covers the blue city.
Hassaniya in the Saharan south
Hassaniya is the Arabic dialect of the Saharan south, and also the main spoken language of Mauritania. The census counts 0.8% of residents who use it daily, mostly in the southern provinces, and article 5 of the Constitution commits the State to preserving it as part of Moroccan culture. You are unlikely to need it on a trip from Marrakech: around Merzouga and Zagora, people speak Darija and Amazigh.
How far will English get you?
Further every year. In the 2024 census, 20.5% of literate Moroccans said they read and write English: 25.2% in towns and 9.6% in the countryside. English was brought into middle schools in stages from 2023–24, and the Ministry of Education planned for every middle school to teach it from 2025–26, so expect more of it from the young.
In practice:
- Riads, hotels, licensed guides, most restaurants and many shops in the Marrakech medina: English works.
- Petit-taxi drivers, small cafés, grocers, bus stations: hit and miss; a few words of French or Darija help.
- Villages in the Atlas and the south: patchy, except with people who work with visitors.
On our multi-day tours, such as the 5-day Marrakech to Merzouga desert tour, your driver-guide speaks English and does the talking when you need it. In the medina, a private guide in Marrakech deals with the sellers while you look around.
Which language should you use?
- Anywhere: start with salam (hello) or salam alaykum, then carry on in English or French. Most people switch to whichever you answer in.
- Taxis: have the name of your riad and its neighbourhood written down, ideally in Arabic too; riad staff can usually write it for you.
- Souks: most sellers in the main Marrakech souks speak some English and French, and a few numbers in Darija help when you bargain.
- Atlas villages: around Imlil, the home language is Tachelhit. Azul (hello) and tanmirt (thank you) earn a smile, and the Darija shukran is understood everywhere. On our day trip to Imlil and the Atlas Mountains, lunch is at our guide's family home, a good place to try both words.
- The desert: around Merzouga you will hear Darija and Tamazight; on a tour, your driver-guide bridges the gap.
- Translation apps: Google Translate added Tamazight, in Latin letters and in Tifinagh, in 2024, but it has no separate Moroccan Arabic: its Arabic is the standard language, fine for reading a sign, stiff in conversation. For talking through an app, French is the safer bridge.
FAQ
Is Moroccan Arabic the same as Arabic?
It is a variety of Arabic, but not the standard one. Moroccans read and write Modern Standard Arabic and speak Darija, with its own pronunciation and many borrowed words.
Can I get by with English in Marrakech?
Yes. Marrakech speaks Darija first, but riads, hotels, guides and most medina restaurants and shops manage English. Keep your address written down for taxis.
Is Berber a language?
Yes. Amazigh, its official name, is one of Morocco's two official languages, with three main spoken varieties: Tachelhit, Tamazight and Tarifit.
Do I need to speak French in Morocco?
No. French helps in towns and with paperwork, but English is enough for a holiday in Marrakech and on an organised tour.
If this is your first trip, our things to know before you go to Morocco covers the rest of the practicalities. And if you have a question about language on a particular tour, ask us on WhatsApp.